The Hario Skerton Coffee Mill [REVIEW]

Our Favorite Manual Coffee Grinder of 2016

Adjustable Grind Settings

Excellent grinds for all settings

Modern & Attractive

Featuring a beautiful glass exterior container

Large Hopper Capacity

Suitable for multiple shots of espresso

If you are on a budget but still demand great quality grind for your coffee, then the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton is the way to go. This Hario coffee grinder is easy to assemble, and simple to use. The Hario Skerton is composed of 2 parts – a beautiful glass container at the bottom, along with a black grinding unit on top. When I tried this hand grinder out, it produced excellent grind on finer settings, but requires an upgrade kit to produce uniform grind on coarser settings. If you’re a French Press fanatic and don’t mind putting in a bit of effort, then this grinder will do wonders for you. All in all, the Hario Skerton is perfect for Espresso and French Press lovers (if you include the upgrade kit) who are looking for an economical and cost-effective solution.

Overview of My Favourite Hand-Held Coffee Grinder

Dimension: 16' x 11' x 13'

Weight: 19.2oz

Burr: Ceramic burrs [Conical]

Capacity: 100g

Time: ~60 sec/shot

Grind Settings: 12 options

What We Like

Fluffy And Even Grinds From Fine - Mid Settings

Easy To Use, Adjust, & Clean

Slow Grinding That Keeps Flavour And Aroma Intact

Cost-Effective Solution

What We Don't Like

Longer Preparation Time

Upgrade Kit Necessary For Superior Coarse Grinds

Glass Container Makes It Unsuitable For Travel

The Hario Skerton Is Best Suited For...

The Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton is perfect for those looking for an economical solution to use at home. If you are a traveller, I don’t recommend using this grinder because it’s made of glass, so it’s quite fragile and could break if you move it about too much – go for the more robust Porlex Tall Grinder instead.

In terms of coffee preference, this grinder can store up to 100g, and can produce even grinds between the fine and mid settings. This is perfect for those who want to brew anything from Turkish to Pour Over.

The Hario Skerton is also good for French Press too, but only for those who’s willing to put in the time and effort to modify the grinder. You can see a video guide on this if you scroll down below.

Overall, I recommend this hand held coffee grinder for those who those looking for a cost-effective grinder for home use. The Hario coffee grinder is suitable for all ranges of coffee, Turkish to French Press, but be ready to modify the grinder if you plan to go for a coarser setting.

Video Review

Hario Skerton Hand Grinder's FEATURES

Design & Appearance

Exterior

Like all Hario products, this coffee grinder is pleasing yet simple in appearance. Hario is originally a glass company, so the grind container’s glass exterior is quite beautiful and high in quality. It’s quite big so if you have small hands, it might be quite difficult for you to get a good grip. The black grinding unit on the top is made of plastic, and it comes with a nicely designed funnel-like piece where you can put your coffee beans in easily. The hand held grinder also comes with a life so when you grind manually, the beans won’t bounce out. All in all, I think the design is attractive and quite functional.

Burrs

As the name suggest the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill uses ceramic burrs… If you didn’t know already, ceramic burrs are considered better than steel burrs because it doesn’t generate as much heat when you grind, which reduces its impact on the bean’s flavor and aroma.

Capacity

The Hario Skerton can store up to 100g of coffee beans, if you include the glass container. If you are looking to brew a pot of coffee, then you can do so without switching out the base – which saves you time.

Noise Level - LOW

Just like every other hand grinder, it’s very quiet. I personally think this is very important if you are like me and have to wake up early for work, and don’t want to disturb the rest of the world – who’s still fast asleep.

Ease of Use

Adjustable Grind Settings

Although you need to remove several parts to reach the adjustment screw, the grind settings on this grinder is still very easy to adjust – everything is just so intuitive. You can adjust the grind in steps, with each equating to 0.009’.

This coffee grinder works out quite well for me because I’m really into fine-tuning. There are no markings so I can adjust to my heart’s content. I also took this whole fine-tuning to the next level by using a slightly thicker 0.035’ washer instead of the standard 0.03’ one. This lets me make half-step adjustments instead. On the flipside, this feature means it’s more difficult for beginners to use and there’s no way to keep track of your favorite grind settings – you’ll have to memorize the number of steps you took.

The Hario Skerton seems to work best in the fine – mid grind range, so those who are going for an Espresso or Pour Over will be happy with this product. However, if you’re a French Press fanatic, you’ll need to spend some time upgrading the stability for a more uniform coarse grind. Here’s a video guide on how to do it:

If you happen to have some sort of power tools and are really confident in keeping safe, you may want to be like this guy in the picture:

Removable Base

After grinding, you can easily unscrew the container and move the ground coffee to your choice of preparation. The glass container also has a lid that is handy if you want to store some leftover coffee grounds.

Low Mess

The grinding unit on the top comes with a silicon lid, which is essential in most manual coffee grinders to prevent beans from flying out. Do be careful when you unscrew the grind container though, you may cause a little mess then.

Cleaning

Cleaning & Maintenance

The coffee grinder is very easy to clean and maintain. The burrs are ceramic, you can rinse it without worrying that it might rust. You can also use a cleaning brush or cloth to ensure all the residual are completely removed before your next grind.

Pricing

The Hario Skerton, is very economical and well worth the money considering the appearance and grind quality in the fine - mid range. Even if you prefer a French Press, the total cost including the upgrade kit usually comes up to less than $50.

The Coffee Barrister's Verdict

Overall, the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton is my favourite manual coffee grinder, and including the upgrade kit, is most likely one of the top in the market at the moment. For a hand grinder, the capacity is pretty good, and is great for those who want to make several cups of coffee at a time. You can expect a very fluffy and uniform grind at finer settings, and with the upgrade kit, excellent grind at the French Press level grind too. The Hario Skerton is one of my personal favorites, and most likely others too – seeing that others took the effort to create a dedicated upgrade kit just for this grinder.